Collar support



March 27, 19 62 TEAGUE COLLAR SUPPORT Filed Feb. 10. 1958 INVENTOR.

Mr 6 E J r. a r n W W m M 3,fi27,fi55 Patented. Mar. 27, 1962 3,027,055 COLLAR SUPPORT Marvin A. Teague, Evansville, Ind. (1.719 Escalante Ave. SW., Albuquerque, N. Mex.) Filed Feb. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 714,169 7 Claims. (Cl. 223-83) The present invention relates to collar supports for laundry finished shirts and more particularly to a new and improved collar support adaptable for use on shirts finished with either laydown or sleeping type collars or standup type collars.

As is well known, it is the custom to utilize a cardboard support with the conventional standup collar of a laun" dry finished shirt to assure the protection of the shape of the collar during packaging and delivery as well as during storage in the customers home. The typical cardboard support includes a first portion adapted to extend around the inside of the neck opening of the finished shirt and a second portion foldable over the area at the collar button between the opposite ends of the collar; the second portion generally has wing-like sections extending beneath the folded collar to provide support thereto.

It is now desirable to finish shirts not only with standup type collars but with the laydown or sleeping type collars as well, inasmuch as shirts finished with the laydown" or sleeping type collar are readily packaged for delivery to the customer and provide easier storage. With the increasing popularity of laundry finished shirts having laydown or sleeping type collars and the continued popularity of the standup type collar, it has been desirable to have a collar support available which is readily useable with both types of collar finish. Since the standup type collar is roughly perpendicular to the plane of the body of the finished shirt while the laydown or sleeping type collar assumes an angle of approxi mately 45 degrees therewith, the typical prior standup type collar support could not be interchanged for use with the laydown or sleeping type collar.

By virtue of the applicants novel invention, a collar support is provided for a laundry finished shirt having either a laydown or sleeping type collar or a standup type collar. In the typical embodiment, the applicants novel collar support comprises an elongated body portion in the shape of a conventional four-in-hand necktie, for example, and having slits near one end thereof defining a foldable end portion adapted to be folded into the neck opening of the finished shirt to provide flexible collar support at the desired angle, i.e. for the laydown or sleeping type collar or the standup type collar.

When the collar support is used, the body portion thereof is positioned on the front of the finished shirt so that the edges of the slits are under the collar and bear against the inner fold thereof when the foldable end portion is inside the neck opening. Thus, the novel collar support of the instant invention provides the necessary collar support in the area susceptible to damage during packaging, delivery, or storage, and at the same time is readily adaptable to either type of collar finish.

A principal object of the present invention therefore is to provide a collar support adaptable for a shirt having either a laydown or sleeping type collar or a standup type collar.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a collar support for a laundry finished shirt which is readily positioned on the shirt, which is effectively secured or retained thereon, and which is easily removed therefrom as desired.

A further and more general object of the invention is to provide an effective collar support for a laundry finished shirt.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a collar support for a laundry finished shirt which can also serve as an area of advertising identification.

Other objects and a better understanding of the invention will become more apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of the collar support of the instant invention on a typical laundry finished shirt;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the collar support of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the collar support of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view of a modification of the collar support of the instant invention;

FIG. 5 is a view of another modification of the collar support of the instant invention; and,

FIG. 6 is a plan view, partly broken away, of yet another modification of the collar support of the instant invention.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawing and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the applicants novel collar support 10 is shown disposed on a shirt 11 finished with a laydown or sleeping type collar. The collar support 10 comprises an elongated body portion 12 which in a typical embodiment may be formed from cardboard, for example, cut into the shape of a conventional four-in-hand tie. Disposed near one end of the body portion 12 are slits 14 and 15 which open outwardly toward the side edges thereof, and which are angled with respect to each other. Slits 14 and 15 define generally pointed areas 18 and 19 and an end portion 16 which is foldable on an axis or line extending between the closed ends thereof.

As is apparent from FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the elongated body portion 12 of the collar support 10 has a neck area 12a cut therein to provide the aforesaid four-in-hand tie effect. Inasmuch as the collar support 11 bends at the neck area 12a and at the end portion 16 thereof, the axes of these folds are preferably scored into the top surface of the body portion 12, as indicated by the dotted lines in the figures.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 1, when used, the end portion 16 of the collar support 11 is folded upwardly so that the generally pointed areas 18 and 19 revealed by such folding may extend under the collar and bear against the inner fold thereof when the body portion 12 is placed on the finished shirt. The end portion 16 is then folded downwardly to a position in the neck opening defined by the collar. With such arrangement, the collar support 11 not only covers the collar button area, including the collar button, but also through the action of the foldable end portion 16 hearing into the neck opening, forms a support for the collarwhich effects rigidity thereto and retains the laundry finish of the collar during, for example, packaging, delivery and storage. It should be apparent that depending upon the style of the finished collar, viz. laydown or sleeping, or standup, the foldable end portion 16 of the collar support 10 would assume a diiferent angle with respect to the plane of the body of the shirt.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show various modifications of the collar support of the instantinventionpwi th the same reference numerals of FIGSII, 2 and 3 being used where appropriate to identify similar parts. 1 i F1654 discloses a modification of the invention which eliminates the use of the foldable end portion 16 of the collar support of FIG. 2. Instead, in FIG. 4, the collar support is retained in position by a longitudinal notch 2t} cut into an end of the body portion 12, the notch 20, being adapted to receive a button on the face of the shirt. Thus, the collar support 10 is effectively positioned on the shirt since the pointed areas 18 and 19 thereof are retained under and bear against the inner fold of the collar as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows another modification of the applicants novel collar support. In the collar support of FIG. 5, lateral notches 21 and 22 are provided on either side of the body portion 12 and a longitudinal notch 23 is provided in the top of the foldable end portion 16. The modified collar support may be used in several ways. For example, the collar support 10 may be positioned on the shirt as in FIG. 1, but in this instance a button on the front of the shirt is received in one of the notches 21 or 22 (depending upon the placement of the buttons on the particular shirt) and the collar support 10 is secured to the shirt thereby.

In addition to the above an'angement, the modified collar support of FIG. 5 may be used by folding the end portion 16 thereof back under the body portion 12 and securing the notch 23 therein around the collar button, with the base portion 12 thereof being secured to one of the other shirt buttons through either notch 21 or 22.

FIG. 6 discloses a modification of the invention wherein a rectangular type tab 24 is cut into the body portion 12 of the collar support .10 and the collar support is secured to the shirt by inserting the tab 24 beneath the placket on the shirt. With this modification, it should be apparent that the shirt appears through the opening remaining after the tab 24 is folded from view. Furthermore, it should be understood that a side of the opening remaining in the body portion 12 after the rectangular type tab 24 is inserted beneath the placket of the shirt may also bear against a button to thereby provide effective looking or positioning of the collar support on the front of the shirt.

Thus, it should be apparent from the preceding that the applicant has provided a novel collar support which is readily interchangeable for use on shirts having different styles of collar finish. The collar support is simple to use and provides highly effective results.

The collar support is susceptible to various changes within the spirit of the invention. For example, the preferred form of collar support is cut from cardboard or any other suitable paper product. However, it should be readily apparent that any material which is easily cut and folded and which provides strength for supporting the collar would be suitable for use herein.

Moreover, although the particular embodiment of collar support disclosed herein is in the shape of a well known four-in-hand tie, it should be understood that the support may be assume any desired appearance. Furthermore, it should be apparent that various combinations of notches and tabs may be used as desired. Thus, the above description should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A collar support for a commercially folded shirt having a neck portion rimmed by a collar comprising an elongated body member having angularly disposed inwardly extending slits proximate an end thereof, a fold axis extending between the inner ends of said slits and defining a foldable end portion bounded by edges formed by said slits and by said fold axis, said foldable end portion adapted to extend into said neck portion of said shirt, and other edges formed by said slits defining said foldable end portion adapted to be inserted beneath said collar and retained substantially at the fold thereof, said elongated body member extending downwardly from said fold axis at the front of said collar along the top of the placket of said shirt for a length exceeding a mid-line between the collar opening and the bosom fold of said shirt and having a width narrower than said shirt.

2. A collar support for a shirt having a neck portion rimmed by a collar comprising an elongated body member having angularly disposed inwardly extending slits proximate an end thereof, a fold axis extending between the inner ends of said slits and defining a foldable end portion bounded by edges formed by said slits and by said fold axis, said foldable end portion adapted to be positioned within said neck portion of said shirt, other edges formed by said slits defining said foldable end portion adapted to be retained beneath the fold of said collar, and slits disposed in said elongated body member towards another end thereof forming a tab-like member adapted to be positioned behind the placket of said shirt to retain the collar support thereon.

3. A collar support for a commercially folded shirt having a neck portion rimmed by a collar comprising an elongated body member having angularly disposed inwardly extending slits proximate an end thereof, a fold axis extending between the inner ends of said slits and defining a foldable end portion bounded by edges formed by said slits and by said fold axis, said foldable end portion adapted to extend into said neck portion of said shirt, other edges formed by said slits defining said foldable end portion adapted to be inserted beneath said collar and retained substantially at the fold there of, and an opening disposed in said elongated body member towards another end thereof having at least one edge thereof adapted to bear against a button on the front of said shirt to thereby retain the collar support on the latter, said elongated body member extending downwardly from said fold axis at the front of said collar along the top of the placket of said shirt for a length exceeding a mid-line between the collar opening and the bosom fold of said shirt and having a width narrower than said shirt.

4. The collar support of claim 1 where said elongated body member has at least one outwardly opening lateral notch adapted to receive a button on said shirt.

5. The collar support of claim 1 where said foldable end portion has an outwardly opening longitudinal notch adapted to receive a collar button on said shirt.

6. The collar support of claim 1 where said foldable endportion has an outwardly opening longitudinal notch adapted to receive a collar button on said shirt, a'n'd'where said elongated body member has at least one outwardly opening lateral notch adapted to receive a button on said shirt.

7. The collar support of claim 1 where said elongated body member has oppositely disposed outwardly opening notches adapted to receive a button on said shirt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,816,539 Lerman July 28, 1931 1,872,260 Elzey Aug. 16, 1932 2,022,401 Brooks et al Nov. 26, 1935 2,144,573 Krout Jan. 17, 1939 2,266,115 Beckman Dec. 16, 1941 2,530,885 Lighter Nov. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 87,090 Norway Mar. 12, 1956 

